Chesapeake Charge -- Growing the Game in Gambrills

As we work our way to World Cup finals and our bid to bring the games to Maryland, now is a good time to look at organizations on all levels who show just how passionately the game is played in our region.

2010 is the inaugural season for the Chesapeake Charge, an Anne Arundel entry in the Women's Premier Soccer League.

If you're not familiar with the Women's Premier Soccer League, it was formed in 1998 as an independent national soccer organization whose main focus is on the development of highly competitive amateur women's soccer teams.

Their mission to is to bring quality soccer to all levels of the community and promote the stature of female athletes as role models for youngsters.  The WPSL is affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation, the governing body of soccer in the United States,  and our good friends at FIFA, who rule the world.
 
WPSL teams roster college, post-college, foreign and talented high school players every year. The season runs from May to August. A league championship tournament is held the last weekend of July or first weekend of August.  Many college programs encourage their athletes to play summer soccer with the WPSL to prepare for the upcoming season and gain experience playing with top caliber players, including former and aspiring professionals. 
 

The Chesapeake Charge, who play at Carroll Field at Arundel High in Gambrills, are currently 3-3-3 .   On Friday, they take on TSC Maryland Pride -- a team established in 1991 in Howard County.  This game will be held in Columbia at Howard Community College.
 
There will be representatives from the Women's Premier Soccer League at the World Cup Festival in the Inner Harbor this Sunday.  They are an integral part of what makes Maryland such a soccer-centric site for tournament play.
 
Can't leave the subject without reminding you to sign the petition.  Our goal is to fill the stadium with supporters to let FIFI and the USA Bid Committee know just how committed we are to the sport.

Tarzan in the Tree Tops

When last we visited Lake Needwood Park in Rockville, it was for the whimsical and chaotic Run A Muck, a 5K slog through the mud and slime.

Now it seems the truly adventurous are taking to the trees in a test of athletic ability, strength and agility. 

Go Ape, a concept developed in the UK, has now swung into Rockville.  It is a giant obstacle course built in the trees using ladders, walkways, bridges and tunnels made of wood, rope and super-strong wire.

Go Ape partnered with the Montgomery County to offer this outdoor recreational facility on park property.  It has been open only since May 8th and has already captured the imagination of groups and families who regard the challenge as a team building (and bonding) experience.

In addition to the zip lines through the canopy, thrill seekers also climb rope ladders and sweep from tree to tree like Cheetah.

The entire course takes two or three hours to complete (and yes, they do require swingers to take a 45 minute safety course prior to heading aloft.)

Those who have taken the challenge describe it as exhilarating.  (Of course, these are some of the same folks who think it's a gas to slop through a swamp in a funny costume.)  But it's getting great reviews even from mainstream outdoors enthusiasts.

While not for the faint-hearted or acrophopic, frolicking through the treetops sounds like a real hoot.  Another good reason (along with climbing the Carderock cliffs or shooting the Great Falls rapids) for the adrenalin rushed to visit Montgomery County.  Grab your banana and GO.

Waterfront Soccer Festival -- Family Fun, World Cup Watch

So you missed the 30th Anniversary party for the Inner Harbor last week?  And you didn't make the fireworks on the Fourth? 

Never fear -- the Inner Harbor has a happening on tap that will provide pyrotechnics all its own.  Family friendly, but a rollicking good romp for soccerphiles of all ages.  It's the World Cup Festival, an all day celebration of the final game in the quadrennial series, this Sunday July 11th.

In addition to being a viewing site for the game with a giant digital screen planted on the western promenade, it is also an opportunity to celebrate soccer with some of the local pros from DC United, Baltimore Blast, and Crystal Palace.

The event is sponsored by the Waterfront Partnership in cooperation with the Office of Sports Marketing.  Which brings us to Terry's role in all this -- another opportunity to promote Maryland as the host site for a future World Cup by demonstrating the enthusiasm for, and support of, soccer in our state.  Team Terry will be there with our bells and whistles (no vuvuzelas) pushing for more online signatures on the petition.

It's also the opportunity to promote the upcoming Manchester City - Inter Milan match on July 31st at M&T.  If you haven't got your tickets yet, be sure to do so -- they're going fast.

But for now, make plans to take the family or posse to the Inner Harbor next Sunday.  Getting there is a breeze from downtown, now that the *FREE* Charm City Circulator connects Federal Hill to Penn Station and Little Italy to the U of MD Biopark.  Both routes pass through the harbor, giving you the opportunity to take in more of Baltimore on your visit.

It's only appropriate that this harbor celebration takes place near the monuments to two venerated Baltimore boosters -- William Donald Schaefer and Walter Sondheim.  They both would appreciate how the revitalization of the harbor has made it the perfect setting for people to come together and celebrate.  That's what sports -- and community -- are all about.

See you next Sunday !!

All Lax, (Almost) All American

In Maryland, where lacrosse is never out of season, a special all star event takes place over the Fourth of July weekend. The fifth annual Under Armour All-America Lacrosse Classic brought 88 top high school seniors (girls and boys) to Baltimore for a last chance to play as preps before beginning their college careers in the fall.

For these elite players, it is an opportunity to play on the same team with the rivals they played against for four years. Since the teams are determined geographically (North and South) many of the competitors have long histories as regular season opponents.

Others found the first chance to play with/against future college teammates. The ACC had a total of twenty players on the boys roster, with eight of them committed to North Carolina and six to Maryland. Georgetown did best with the girls, snagging five All Americans. Maryland and North Carolina had four each.

The Under Armour All-America Lacrosse Classic has deep Baltimore roots, with the iconic sportswear company teaming up with Corrigan Sports and Inside Lacrosse Magazine to make the selections and organize the weekend events. ESPNU (whom we’ve seen a lot of this year around M&T) broadcast the boys contest live.

For the second year, the Under Armour Classic expanded the weekend to include underclassmen in the fun, with teams organized by regions. Boys and girls teams came from Baltimore, Long Island, Midwest, New England, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Upstate New York and Washington, D.C. They participated in pool play on Saturday in the fields around Unitas Stadium, with finals scheduled for Sunday, July 4th at 3:30PM.

Both All-America games were hard-fought, high scoring contests. The North girls barely squeezed past their opponents 17-16 while the North boys were a little more dominant, winning 17-12.

While much is made of the intense rivalry between Maryland and Long Island as the hotbeds of the sport, an interesting irony played out in the boys game. Most Valuable Player, hands down, was an attackman who played midfield and scored four goals in North’s win. His name is Mark Cockerton, and he’s from Oshawa.

That’s right. The most elite All-American of 2010 is a Canadian.

But we’ll be seeing more of him, since he’s heading even farther south, to Charlottesville, where he'll join his brother Matt as a Cavalier. That means he’s a good bet to be playing around here sometime next season.

The Under Armour All-America Lacrosse Classic had 2,500 fans at Unitas yesterday. Many were F&F (friends and family) who came for the entire weekend to participate in all the festivities in and around Baltimore. After all, it is the cradle of lacrosse, where the game is always on.

Zipping over Garrett County

Terry promised to take the Merry Marketeers on a team outing to Western Maryland just as soon as he gets back (and we all recover from World Cup fever.)

This comes as great news, because a new feature has been added at the Wisp Resort as part of its four-season appeal.  The Flying Squirrel Zip Line Adventure is now available, offering the truly daring the opportunity to zoom between the treetops in the beautiful mountains of Garrett County.

In addition to being the home of Maryland's only ski resort, Garrett County also has the state's most rugged terrain -- making it a natural for outdoor adventure sports.

Speaking of Adventure Sports, one of our stops will be the world-class watersports facility built on the mountain near Wisp.  Hopefully, the Marketeers will all get a chance to practice our kayaking skills.  I'd also like to get in a trip to Deep Creek Lake, one of the most popular area attractions, and maybe even a little cycling. 

The Savage River is nationally recognized for being one of the premier fly fishing streams in the country, which also contributes to the sports and recreation tourism Western Maryland enjoys.

Hopefully, we'll also get to take a look at the site where a new $23 million Community Sports and Recreation Complex is under construction on the campus of Garrett College.  The planned project consists of a 32,000-square-foot aquatics center complete with two indoor swimming pools (you know how Terry loves those natatoriums,) a fitness facility and a physical therapy facility to be run by Garrett County Memorial Hospital.

A second phase will include a 34,000-square-foot gymnasium with three regulation-size basketball courts and seating for about 2,000.  These present all sorts of possibilities for bringing more events to the far west.

So stay tuned for the adventures of Team Terry as we explore more of the many assets Maryland  offers sports enthusiasts.

Cal Sr.: Still Growing the Game

That's Cal, Jr., back on 33rd Street in Baltimore, at what was once -- and will be again -- home plate.  But the day was really about Cal, Sr. and his legacy of making the game accessible to all and developing skills through hard work and practice.

The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation is devoted to just those principles, and the State of Maryland is greatly enriched by the facilities and programs it has produced.  This was very evident to Team Terry when we visited his namesake stadium in Aberdeen last summer, but it manifests itself throughout the state in other, growing ways.

Just this week, Cal Jr. and Billy Ripken were part of a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the old Memorial Stadium, where they both played for the Orioles and their dad.  The Cal, Sr. Foundation, through a partnership with the Y of Central Maryland and contributions from the state, city, and private donors, is building a $1.5 million youth development park on the spot where the Orioles and Colts once played.   The project will have synthetic turf, dugouts and a home plate exactly where it used to be.

This part is first step in a plan to bring baseball facilities into the inner city where so few exist anymore, having been lost to development.  It's part of the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation's "Swing For the Future" campaign, which gives at-risk youth safe places to play and learn.  The new field at Memorial Stadium will be ready in about four months. The Ripken Foundation plans to build five in Baltimore, including one in Park Heights and another in Patterson Park.

Cal, Sr.'s influence is felt in other ways and places in Maryland this time of year, with his eponymous wooden bat league in full swing.  This collegiate circuit offers summer training to varsity athletes, and the opportunity to stay on top of their game after their regular season ends. 

The Ripken league plays all over the state.  Last year, their All Star Game was held at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf .  Season champions were the Bethesda Big Train -- seen here at Shirley Povich Field in Cabin John playing against Youse's Orioles.

The Ripken league experience is appreciated as much for its comradery as it is for honing skills and offering top notch competition.  Since 2005, it has been a favorite with players as well as the communities where the games have become affordable family activities.  For updates on the collegiate wooden bat league, go here:

The Ripken Way is still with us, still contributing to game of baseball and all those who love it.

Unimoniker

It used to be that unless you were a diva rock star (think:  Cher, Madonna) you couldn't pull off the single name persona.

Thanks to the World Cup, tout le monde now realizes that all it requires is being a Brazilian soccer player.  Or a program that can turn your given name and favorite number into an instant Brazilian icon.

(The way this World Cup is going, you might get a lot of mileage out of that)

So before I depart for my favorite spot right beyond centerfield to see what's left of the Dutch orange trying to squeeze something out of the samba slickters (disclaimer: early lunch, off the clock)  I leave you with this website where you can learn what your Brazilian soccer and see how it would look on your team jersey.

(This is even more fun than learning what your mob name would be if you worked for "The Sopranos," because a uniform comes with it.)

So try it yourself.  You might have a fun souvenir to wear to the Man City-Inter Milan game on the 31st at M&T Bank Stadium